Sunday 25 August 2013

Back Up North to find a Grass Snake

Following on from the 7 species of reptiles seen in Dorset I completed the full set with Grass Snake Natrix natrix on my home patch. Again Matt came across and we headed off to the nearest Grass Snake spot and quickly saw 2 perhaps 3, unlike last time they were in good condition having recently shed. We then headed over to an Adder Vipera berus site and found 2 males with a neonate Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara en-route. The next day we headed over to Merseyside to look for Sand Lizards but could only find juvenile Common Lizard, Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris, Common Frog Rana temporaria   and Common Toad Bufo bufo. We also saw a few interesting insects.

All photos © Carl Corbidge



 Above 3 same Grass Snake
 Golden Ringed Dragonfly
 Emerald Lestes
 Male Adder
 Common Toad
 Common Frog and Smooth Newts
 Smooth Newts

 Above 2 Northern Dunes Tiger Beetle
 Darter Spp


Sandwich Terns

Friday 23 August 2013

A Little Herping in Dorset

From August 10th-17th I had a week in Swanage Dorset with my daughter Sasha. Obviously I couldn't go all that way to the best herping county in England without having a look for some wildlife, but my main aim was to try and get some decent photos of Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis. I also did a fair bit of cycling ( you have to do something whilst waiting for a teenager to rise from their pit) as well as visiting some more touristy places. The weather was ok most of the week but rain Thursday afternoon enforced cancelling a trip to Brownsea Island. In the end the only reptile I didn't find was Grass Snake.

 view from caravan to Purbeck hills
 Swanage
 Above and below Smooth Snake

 Above and below Slow Worm

 Sand Lizard
 Male Adder
 Old Harry Rocks

 Female Common Blue
 Gatekeeper
 Common Wall Lizard

 Above male and below female Green Lizard

 Viviparous Lizard
 Heathland
 Fallow Deer
 Common Blue Damselfly
 Emperor Moth Caterpilar
 Female Adder
 Lulworth Cove
 Newly hatched Sand Lizards

 Lulworth Range
 ?Keeled Skimmer
 
Sand Lizard